


Destined

by frantic65



Category: Brokeback Mountain (2005)
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-03-28
Updated: 2015-07-24
Packaged: 2018-03-20 00:26:59
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 9
Words: 22,180
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3629835
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/frantic65/pseuds/frantic65
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Jack Twist looks back on his life (and death) with Ennis Del Mar.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> WARNINGS: undead!Ennis, major character death (not yet and trust me), minor character death (not yet either), mentions of abuse and non-consensual sex (but nothing graphic and not between our boys)
> 
> This fic is a loose cross-over between the BBM and True Blood universes. You do not need to know anything about True Blood other than that I am borrowing their vampire mythology for this story. (And there may be a cameo by a TB vamp or two).
> 
> I started this story a few years ago, and lost the muse a few chapters from the end. It is now completed and I will be posting a chapter every few days until finished.

I had always dreamed of escaping the hell that was my childhood. Small town, smaller-minded people, and a daddy who was mean as a rattlesnake. Nowadays, my momma and I may have had a shot at getting away from him, or better yet, sending the fucker to jail for raping her and beating the shit out of both of us; but in 1963, in rural Wyoming, there were only two ways out, leaving with only the clothes on your back, or death.

In the summer of my eighteenth year, I chose death.

Now I know how dramatic that sounds and it makes you think my story must be pretty damn short, but what I have found in the forty plus years since my untimely demise, is that there are different types of living, and some have nothing to do with what they teach you in high school biology.

So this is my history, and I want to focus on the events that led up to my death and subsequent rebirth. I want to tell you a love story, about how two lost and lonely men found each other and overcame every obstacle life threw at them…including death…to be together.

As soon as the candles on the cherry cake my momma baked for my eighteenth birthday were blown out, I began to seriously consider how I was going to get free of my old man and take my momma with me. If it was just me, I would have packed a duffle bag, and hitched my way far from Lightning Flat, my dead end of a hometown. But I had my momma to think of, and I knew that if I up and disappeared one day, that old bastard would fuck her up so bad that killing her would start to look like a kindness.

I knew that I needed money before I could even start to plan an escape, and working on our barren and desolate poor excuse for a ranch was not the road to riches. I had also realized another truth about myself, and this one could get me killed just as surely as fighting back against my daddy would. I knew without a doubt in my mind that I preferred the company of men to that of women, and in the end, this is what ironically proved to be my salvation.

I had taken to hitching a ride across the Montana border several times a week after the sun had gone down and my old man was well into his ever present bottle of whiskey. I knew that unless something set him off, he’d drink until he passed out and my momma would be safe from his fists and unwanted intimate advances until I returned in the silent hours before dawn.

There were several bars in Carter County and one advertised itself discreetly as a Gentlemen’s Bar and Pool Hall, and this is where I soon found myself a second home. At first, I washed dishes and bussed tables, grateful that the owner didn’t ask any questions and happy for the small salary I received for my toils. It didn’t take long for him to realize that we could both make a hell of a lot more money if I started serving drinks and flirting with the regulars. I was young and easy on the eyes, and more importantly, I didn’t mind the odd pinch on the ass or quick grope that usually amounted to an extra tip at the end of the night.

I was well on my way to freedom the first time he walked into the bar.

It was a muggy night in early June, and I had been late getting to work. My daddy had been in a rage because one of the cattle had been savaged by a predator, and he was considering keeping watch over the herd, rifle at the ready, in case the beast returned. I managed to convince him to let me do it, and my momma helped things along by pouring him his first few shots with dinner. She had a vague idea of what I was planning, but I gave her no details so he wouldn’t be able to beat it out of her if he ever caught on that I was sneaking out behind his back to work at a bar full of queers.

I was feeling distracted, worried that my daddy would decide to check up on me and then take it out on momma when he realized I had slipped away, when I felt an odd tingle on the back of my neck that soon flowed throughout my entire body, leaving me feeling more alive than I’d ever felt before.

I turned my head, unsure of what I was searching for; and that’s when I saw him. He was sitting at a small table in the dimmest part of the bar far removed from the rowdier groups of men clustered around the pool tables and dart boards. He had the face of an angel with a mass of golden curls that rested perfectly on his lean and lightly muscled shoulders. He shrugged off a black leather jacket as I watched and my mouth watered at the sight of his naked biceps nicely exposed by a tight, white wife-beater. Faded denim jeans hugged his ass snugly and his long legs tapered down into dusty leather boots. I had seen my share of attractive men since I began working here, but he was hands down the most beautiful creature I had ever laid eyes on in my entire life.

I scanned my way slowly up his body and froze when I reached his face and realized he had caught me ogling. I smiled ruefully and shrugged; this was a gay bar and whether he was here by accident or design he was gorgeous and I was not a shy person by nature. Since he was sitting at one of my tables, I held his gaze as I worked my way over to take his order.

As I approached him, his eyes narrowed for a moment and I felt confused and uneasy. I stumbled slightly as I neared him and I felt his steadying arm on my elbow even as I regained my equilibrium on my own. He continued to watch me carefully, but he didn’t release my arm right away, and I shivered as his fingers stroked my skin softly before he let me go.

“Hi.” I sounded breathless, so I cleared my throat and tried again. “What can I get you?”

“Whatever’s on tap will do, thanks.” His voice was deeper than I expected, but it’s smooth and husky tone went right to my dick and I was immediately hard much to my embarrassment.

He glanced down at me briefly and I’d swear he blushed as he caught sight of the bulge in my jeans. I laughed to myself, charmed by this stranger who was such a mix of confidence and shyness. Never one to miss an opportunity at self-promotion, I shifted my hips to better highlight my package, and grinned as he quickly fixed his glance once more to my face.

“I’m Jack,” I offered as I thrust my hand out in greeting, “Jack Twist. You’re new around here, aren’t you?” I could flirt with the best of them, and this man was the most flirt-worthy thing that had entered this bar in all the months I’d been working here. He also appeared to be close to my age, and that was an even rarer occurrence around these parts. My night was definitely looking up.

“I’m Ennis.” He answered and fell silent. I raised an eyebrow in his direction and he shot me a puzzled look before a hesitant smile warmed his features. “Del Mar. I’m Ennis Del Mar.”

“Well, pleased to meet you Ennis Del Mar.” His hand clasped mine firmly and once again I felt that peculiar sense of disorientation and a flare of desire that caused me to close my eyes briefly in order to regain control. “Where are you from Ennis?” Our hands remained joined as we both seemed reluctant to break the physical contact that allowed an odd flow of energy to hum between us.

“Here and there.” He answered slowly. “Originally from Wyoming, near Riverton, that’s where my family first settl--lived when I was a child.”

“No shit! I’m from Wyoming too! I bet we have a lot in common, friend!” I squeezed his hand and leaned in close.

Did I mention I’m not real subtle when I see something I want? And Ennis Del Mar had quickly turned into someone I wanted very badly. I didn’t often get involved with the men that frequented the bar, most were too old and I wasn’t looking for another daddy, but there had been a few younger patrons, often just passing through, that had offered a tempting diversion from the hopelessness of my daily life. I wasn’t promiscuous but I was familiar with the comfort that could be found in the arms of these men, and I had learned how to give and take the pleasure they freely offered, no strings attached.

“Let me get your beer, Ennis.” I whispered as our lips grew dangerously close. “I’m due for a break soon, and I’d like to get to know you better.” I withdrew my hand from his and headed in the direction of the bar, certain from the tingle running up and down my spine that his eyes were following me.

“Can I take my break now, Boss?” I called over to Mike, as I tapped out Ennis’s draft. “It’s not busy at all, and Ray’s tables are pretty empty right now.”

“Sure thing, kid.” Mike nodded in Ennis’s direction. “You be careful with that one, Jack. He’s a looker, but he’s also a stranger.”

I rolled my eyes and gave him a quick pat on the back, letting him know I appreciated his concern…and I did. I know Mike considered me a part of the family that comprised the workers and regulars at the bar, and tried to protect me as best as he could. He knew a good bit of my history and had seen me after a run-in with my old man once or twice. “I’m always careful. “ And this one’s special, I added to myself.

I walked back over to Ennis and smiled as I placed his beer on the table. His eyes met mine and I started at the hungry gleam I found there. I was sure he couldn’t be much older than me, but his eyes, well, they told a whole different story. His pupils were brown, flecked with green and gold, but I could swear as he held my gaze they glowed unnaturally in the dim bar lighting.

For just a moment, I felt uneasy and my expression must have reflected this, because he reached up and cupped my face in his hand, using his thumb to gently rub my lower lip. I pulled the other chair at his table up close and sat down, leaning my face into his caress even as I wondered at the unusual pull this man had over me. Without thinking any further, I slid my tongue out and licked his thumb as it continued to stroke my lip. The hungry look returned to his eyes, but this time he found it mirrored in my own.

“It’s time for my break.” I tell him, and pull a pack of smokes from my pocket. “Care to join me?” I nod my head in the direction of the side entrance and offer him a cigarette as he stands up to follow me.

“Thanks.” He mumbles as he places the cigarette between his lips. I watch him closely, impatient to be alone with him, even if it’s just right outside the bar. My stomach flutters with excitement as the door swings shut behind us, and as I turn to ask him if he needs a light, I find myself slammed, back against the alley wall, Ennis’s mouth roughly sliding against mine. My surprise lasts for all of five seconds before lust kicks in and I find myself opening my lips to admit his tongue as I wrap my arms around his neck and hold on tight.

I thrust my hands into his hair, wrapping the mess of curls around my fists and tugging his head back so I can catch my breath. “Damn, Ennis!” I pant out raggedly. “I had you pegged as strong, silent, and shy, but it looks like I only got two out of three, boy!”

I crush our lips together again, and this time it’s my tongue that invades his mouth. I suck on his tongue and savor the faint taste of liquor, tobacco, and something else I can’t quite place. Something metallic and vaguely familiar, but an analysis of his saliva is not high on my list of priorities round about now. I moan into his mouth, and his answering growl seems to vibrate throughout my body.

I feel something sharp against my tongue, followed by the coppery taste of blood, and a warning echoes through my brain, but when he gently sucks my tongue more deeply into his mouth and reaches behind me to cup my ass with his long fingers, I feel the same disorientation from earlier in the bar edged this time with a wild euphoria.

He pulls his mouth away and I press him closer as he nuzzles my neck and licks softly at my rapidly beating pulse. When he takes my skin gently between his teeth and nips at me sharply I break away and murmur, “No marks…nothing that my daddy can see.” He pauses and I feel him nod in agreement, my eyes still closed as I ride the sensation of flying although I am standing still in his arms.

He releases me suddenly and I stumble drunkenly although I haven’t had so much as a beer tonight. My eyes snap open, and when I see he has his back to me, I reach out a hand and place it on his shoulder, unsure of why he’s broken contact so quickly.

“You didn’t have to stop, Ennis. It’s just my daddy is a son-of-a-bitch and if I come home with love bites on my neck, he’s gonna have a cow.” And beat my ass and momma’s too. I added silently. Ennis turned around and shot me a sharp glance. For a moment I could swear he’d read my mind, but I shook that thought aside as he grabbed the back of my neck and put his lips beside my ear. “Your daddy know you like men, Jack? “

“No he doesn’t and my life wouldn’t be worth a squirt of piss if he were to find out.” I turn my head and capture his lips with mine. “But I don’t want to talk about my daddy, Ennis.” He lets me kiss him for a moment, but I can tell the mood is broken, so I lean back on the wall and light up to give my hands something to do. He shoots a questioning look at my cigarette and I nod, offering him a drag as I blow smoke rings in his general direction.

“So…” I look at him thoughtfully as I take another pull on my cigarette. “You just passing through, Ennis Del Mar, or are you fixing on hanging around these parts for a while?”

“I guess you can say I’m something of a drifter. I don’t keep to a schedule and move on when I feel like I’ve worn out my welcome.” He looked sad and lonely and I felt an ache in my chest for him. My life sucked, but at least I had my momma and a place to call home. I started wondering how I could wipe that lonesome look off his face for good, without putting me or momma in any greater danger.

“Well, I hope you feel welcome here for a while longer then.” I push off of the wall and rest my hand on his shoulder before leaning in and stealing a quick kiss. “I’d like to get to know you a whole lot better.”

For a moment, a shadow crosses his face, followed by a shy smile, and I knew at that exact moment that my life was never going to be the same.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After disappearing for a few days, Ennis once again shows up at the bar. Jack is a little miffed at his vanishing act.

I didn’t see Ennis again for four nights, during which time I went from nervous anticipation to devastated confusion. I had finally reached the point of righteous indignation when I looked up from my order book late Friday night and caught sight of him sitting at the bar watching me.

He smiled at me and lifted his beer in greeting. I glared at him and was tempted to give him a one-fingered salute of my own, but instead I turned my attention to the table of college boys I was waiting on. We didn’t often draw in a younger crowd, but on occasion they ventured outside of their usual haunts and indulged in their curiousity about the queer world.

I could feel him staring a hole in my back, so I made it a point to smile widely as I took orders and shamelessly flirted with the most attractive of the college group before me. I felt a sudden heat behind me and I knew it was him. I turned to head back to the bar to place the order and recoiled from the fury that was burning in his eyes.

“I need to talk to you!” he growled as he grabbed my arm in a bruising grip and tried to steer me toward the side door.

I refused to budge and pushed past him, slapping my hand down on the bar as I left the order there for the bartender. Ennis wasn’t behind me anymore and when I casually glanced around, I saw he was standing where I’d left him, fists clenching and unclenching, eyes shooting daggers at the boy I had been flirting with.

I was still pissed that he’d disappeared without a word for those four days, but now I was also intrigued by his reaction to my little performance. I had just been trying to show him that I wasn’t waiting here, ready to jump in his arms whenever he decided to show up, but it seemed Ennis wasn’t familiar with that game, and by the looks of it, he was seriously considering doing something really stupid, like picking a fight with a table full of drunken college jocks.

I quickly asked Ray to cover for me for a few minutes and I stalked over to Ennis, biting out a terse, “Come with me,” as I passed him by.

I didn’t wait to see if he followed, but he was hot on my heels as I stepped into the side alley and whirled around to face him. Hands on my hips I confronted him, “What in the hell is your problem, Del Mar?”

He looked at me in disbelief. “What’s wrong with me? I think that should be my line. What’s wrong with you, throwing yourself at that other fellow with me watching?”

I closed my mouth, which had fallen open in surprise at his words. “Throwing myse—Ennis are you crazy? Being nice to the customers is how I get good tips. And how is any of this your business anyway? Seems to me you’re the one who vanished without a trace earlier this week. “

The anger drained out of his face, and when I saw it replaced by that sad and lonely look that had been haunting me for the past four nights, I walked up to him and wrapped my arms around his tense neck. “What the hell happened to you, Ennis?”

“Jack, I’m sorry about that…I…uh…I had to take care of some family business. It was kind of unexpected.” He looked so miserable that I couldn’t stay mad at him. After all, I had told him he had no say over what I did, and honestly, the same went for me. We had met for the first time less than a week ago, yet there seemed to be a connection between us that I couldn’t explain.

“Shit, you know what? You don’t need to explain yourself to me. I’m just glad you’re back.” I brushed the hair off his forehead. “You are back, aren’t you?”

His eyes gleamed in the dim light from the streetlamp at the other end of the alley, and I shivered with desire as he slanted his lips to meet mine. No promises were spoken, but I somehow knew that he would give me what he could, and for now, that would be enough.

He cupped the nape of my neck in his hands and kissed me hungrily, his tongue thrusting boldly into my mouth, as his hips rocked impatiently against mine, the movement causing our erections to rub deliciously together.

My head was spinning and I heard myself moaning helplessly as he licked the side of my mouth before marking a trail possessively from my cheek to my throat, where he gently sucked, mindful of my previous request for no marks, even though at this point there wasn’t much I would deny him.

I tilted my head back wantonly, silently inviting him to taste more deeply of my skin, and I felt a shudder travel the entire length of his body, and a choked cry passed from his lips before he pressed his face tightly against my shoulder as though he were in pain.

I pressed my hand comfortingly in his hair, unsure of what to do or say. This was the second time in as many attempts that he’d become agitated just when things seemed to be heating up nicely between us. I’m almost positive that Ennis isn’t a virgin, and there’s no denying that he was as aroused as I was judging by the hard-on he was rubbing against me two minutes ago.

I looked around thoughtfully; maybe it was the location that was bothering him. Alleys are fine for a quick blow job, but since it seemed like we both wanted to get a whole lot friendlier than a handshake, I was thinking that a change of venue was warranted.

I felt a sudden flash of inspiration and I spoke quietly into the mass of blonde curls I’m slowly stroking. “Ennis,” I whispered against his temple, “You got a car?”

He cleared his throat and twisted his head to look over at me. “No, I’ve got a pick-up truck. Why?”

I push him away and shoot him a wide smile. “No shit…a truck? That’s even better!”

“Better then what Jack?” His brow is furrowed and I kiss him quickly on the lips because a confused Ennis is pretty damn hot. I’m also relieved that my question seems to have taken his mind off of whatever his little meltdown was all about. I’m getting hornier by the second thinking about me and Ennis and the back of his pick-up, so I lick my lips and clue him in on my plan.

“Listen, I get off at two.” He lifted an eyebrow and I laughed at his unexpected teasing. “I mean I’m done working at two, smartass.” He tossed me that heated glance that I’ve come to crave like an addiction, and I moved in closer to him as I continued to explain my idea.

“I usually hitch a ride home with one of the guys in the kitchen…but what do you think about maybe you driving me home, friend?” I gave him a sultry gaze of my own and our bodies were close enough for me to feel that at least Ennis’s cock was in agreement. I fit myself against him and rubbed my hands soothingly from his back to his ass, taking my time and stroking the skin on his back where his shirt had come loose from his jeans. “I really need to get you alone, boy.” I completed my request by nuzzling my face into his neck and peppering soft kisses with a hint of tongue all over the smooth skin I exposed on his throat.

“Uhh….Oh God, Jack…that sounds…um…good to me.” He’s moaning and moving restlessly against me. I don’t know what stopped him earlier, but it definitely wasn’t a lack of interest. I continued to lick and nip a trail upwards on his skin until I reached his mouth, which was hanging slightly open as he relaxed into my seduction.

“Like that, do you?” I murmured as I claimed his lips and stroked his tongue with mine. I’m confident I’ve got him primed and willing to give me a ride I won’t forget when my shift ends for sure. I break away gently and add a few lingering, but less intense kisses for good measure, when I pull away and grab his hands in mine.

“Come on.” I said as I kept our hands linked. “I need to get back to work. I’ve got a lot more I want to get into with you later.”

We walked back into the bar together and I saw Mike shoot me a “What the fuck?” look. I settled Ennis at the table I think of as his, and I winked at him as he stared after me looking a little dazed.

“Well, Jack Fucking Twist strikes again.” Mike snorted at me as soon as I reached the bar. “That boy looks like he’ll go to Hell and back for you after fifteen minutes in the alley. What’d you do to him?”

I smiled in Ennis’s direction and grabbed a beer for him. “You’d be surprised Mike, I just asked him if he’d give me a ride home…and he said yes.”

“Jesus…next you know he’ll be wearing your ring.” Mike joked at me good-naturedly.

“I hope he’ll be wearing a grin as big as Texas by the time I’m done with him.” I can’t keep my eyes away from his table and as I headed over with his drink, I could swear I heard Mike whisper, “But what’ll be left when he’s done with you.” I faltered as his words sink in and I glanced back at him in surprise, but his back was to me and he was busy wiping down the other end of the bar, effectively ignoring me completely.

I placed the beer in front of Ennis and bent down to give him a kiss. His eyes appeared to glow again, and he nodded in thanks at the brew. “Two o’clock.” I whispered, and touched his cheek before I settled back down to waiting tables.

The rest of the night passed quickly and I felt a peculiar thrill when I noticed that Ennis’s eyes tracked my every step. At about one o’clock, I was taking a breather after a short rush, when I glanced over and noticed Ennis’s chair was empty. I gave the bar a quick surveillance but didn’t see him anywhere. I shrugged, assuming he had stepped out for a smoke when I noticed the college boy I’d flirted with earlier stumble his way out of the men’s room. I shook my head at his obvious intoxication, amused that he was such a lightweight when it came to holding his liquor. I had been serving that table all night, and though they were drinking pretty steadily, he had cut himself off about an hour ago, telling me he was the back-up to the designated driver. I hoped the real designated driver was in better shape than him, because there was no way I’d want him behind the wheel of a motorized vehicle any time soon.

I was leaning back on the bar, wondering if I should peek out in the alley to see if Ennis was out there smoking, when the object of my desire exited the men’s room, caught my eyes watching him, and jumped guiltily. I straightened up and looked back and forth between him and college boy, my mind screaming that something was not right, although there was nothing wrong with Ennis taking a leak at the same time as a guy he was jealous of a few hours earlier…was there?

I was considering heading over to Ennis just to make myself feel better, but suddenly I heard a loud crash from the kitchen and took off to see what other disasters the night might hold.

By the time I returned to the bar, the college table was empty, and Ennis was patiently waiting for me. I walked up to him and searched his eyes, my doubts getting the best of me, despite the powerful attraction I felt for this man.

“Is everything okay, Ennis?” I asked him hesitantly, willing him to do something to set my mind at ease.

“Everything’s fine.” He answered and rubbed a warm hand on the side of my neck affectionately. “All I can think about is you. It’s been a long time since anyone has made me feel the way that you do.”

I leaned into his caress and if I were a cat I would have purred. “I’m real glad to hear that, Ennis, because I have a feeling we’re going to be together for a long time.”

He smiles at my words, but the shadows lurked in his eyes again. “Time can be a tricky thing, Jack, but I think I’d like to see what it has in store for us.”


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ennis gives Jack a ride.

I smiled at Ennis and held my index finger up in the universal signal for, Just a minute, as I cashed in my tips to Mike at the bar.

“Thanks Mike, see you tomorrow.” I gave him a wink as I shoved the bills in my front pocket.

“Jack, wait.” He grabbed my elbow as I started to turn away, and I stared at him in surprise, stopped short by the uneasy expression on his face.

“What’s wrong?” I continued to watch him curiously as he shot a nervous look in Ennis’s direction, before clearing his throat and releasing my arm suddenly.

“Nothing.” He picked up a rag and started scrubbing vigorously at the already spotless countertop. He spared another quick glance at Ennis, who was still patiently waiting for me at the front entrance. “Just…be careful…okay?”

“Yeah, sure Mike, you know I always am…right?” I placed a hand on his shoulder and gave it a quick squeeze before I made a beeline for the exit, and more importantly…Ennis.

“Okay, Ennis,” I smiled as I approached my apparently dangerous obsession, “Let’s blow this fucking popsicle stand!” I threw my arm across his shoulders and laughed at the confused expression on his face. “Didn’t you ever hear that saying before?”

“Uh…no…it’s unfamiliar to me.” He was frowning slightly, and I rubbed gently at his furrowed brow.

“Well, it just means let’s get the fuck out of here; so let’s go!” I dropped my arm from his shoulders and grabbed his hand, tugging him along as we exited the bar.

I stopped as we reached the parking lot and released Ennis’s hand when I saw a police cruiser rounding the corner. The officer inside slowed down as he approached the bar. I wasn’t worried about him; I’d been working the late shift for several months and none of the local cops had harassed me yet.

Ennis watched the patrol car warily. I figured with him being a drifter, he’d had his fair share of asshole cops giving him a hard time. I nudged him gently, asking, “Ennis, which truck is yours?”

It was closing time but there were still about a dozen vehicles in the lot, half of them pick-ups, no surprise out here in the middle-of-nowhere Montana.

He pointed out a late model green Ford extended cab and I let out a low whistle. “Nice wheels, Ennis.”

“Yeah, it does the trick.” He mumbled quietly, but I could tell by the way his lips twitched that he was pleased I had complimented his choice of truck.

I brushed up against him as he pulled the keys from his leather jacket, and my breath escaped me in a loud grunt as I found myself pushed up against the passenger door with Ennis’s hands fisted in my hair and Ennis’s tongue pushing its way into my mouth.

“Jesus, he moves fast”, I thought dizzily as I relaxed into his touch and welcomed the weight of his body pressing up against mine. At this rate, I was going to wind up letting him fuck me up against his truck. It wouldn’t be the first time I’d had sex in a semi-public place, but I knew that there was the distinct possibility that someone would see us. I was not interested in ending up in the hospital or worse if any local good old boys were out and about and looking for a few fags to pummel.

Ennis was feasting on my lips like a starving man at a buffet, and it took a shitload of willpower on my part to pull my mouth from his and whisper urgently, “Ennis, slow down a little minute. Let’s continue this somewhere a bit more private, somewhere we won’t be disturbed.”

He rested his forehead on mine and seemed to take a moment to get his breathing back to normal. He had his eyes closed and I stroked his cheek softly to let him know I wanted nothing more than to be with him, but not out here in the open.

“Sorry, Jack.” He pulled back and regarded me solemnly. “Guess I’m just kind of impatient when it comes to being with you.” He lowered his eyes shyly, and I placed my hand under his chin and forced his gaze to meet mine. “Don’t ever apologize for something like that, Ennis; hell, I’m flattered you want me so bad you can’t wait to get me alone.”

His expression was a puzzling mix of sadness and longing, but he pressed an almost innocent kiss on my lips as he murmured, “I do want you, Jack, more than I’ve ever wanted anything before.” He touched my hair softly and unlocked the passenger side door before walking around the truck to slide into the driver’s seat.

I hopped in beside him and immediately scrambled as close as I could before he even turned the engine over. He flipped on the headlights and turned to face me. “Okay, where we going?”

I reached over and squeezed his thigh before answering. “We are going to Paradise, Mr. Del Mar, fasten your seatbelt.” His raised his eyebrows in question. “We’re heading toward my home in Lightning Flat, Wyoming,” I amended, “ Its mostly back roads so we should be able to find someplace cozy to stop for a while and get to know each other better.”

Ennis pulled out onto the deserted streets and we soon left the lights of the small town behind us. We drove for a few minutes in a tense, but not uncomfortable silence, each of us lost in his own thoughts, yet painfully aware of the desire that flowed between us like a living, breathing thing. I kept light contact with my hand still on his thigh, but I didn’t allow my fingers to travel any further, at least not while we were driving.

Every so often I would quietly warn him of an upcoming turn, or point out a landmark that seemed to glow eerily in the muted moonlight, keenly aware of how his eyes would invariably track my gestures, much like a predator would track its prey. The unsettling comparison caused me to squirm uneasily in my seat, and I realized suddenly how little I knew about the man beside me.

“Jack.” The sound of his voice after his prolonged silence made me jump nervously, and I swallowed loudly.

“What?” I forced myself to turn my head and meet his gaze as he glanced my way again.

“You know you can change your mind if you want.” He didn’t remind me of anything dangerous now, his voice quiet and low…and sad.

“No.” I said it quickly, with a confidence I sure as hell hadn’t been feeling thirty seconds ago. “I want this…I want you.”

He turned his attention back to the road and when he spoke again, the low timbre of his voice was almost hypnotic, a promise of heretofore unknown pleasures. “Soon.”

I slowly nodded and watched the landscape outside the window. “About a half mile up on the right, you’ll see a dirt road veer off; there’s a spot there where we can be alone.” No more joking about getting to know you better, there was nothing amusing about the way I was feeling, and I wanted nothing more than to be in his arms, and to be there now.

He took the right and slowed down as the unpaved road grew uneven and rough, concentrating on avoiding potholes and bumps that were difficult to see even with headlights and the brightness of the full moon.

“There.” I pointed to a tree-lined area that would naturally conceal the truck from the flat prairie surrounding us.

Ennis rolled the truck to a stop and killed the engine and lights. “Where does this road go?” he asked curiously as a perfect silence settled over us.

“Nowhere really.” I explained.” There’s a bend in the road right past these trees that ends up at my family’s plot.”

“Plot?” Ennis asked, looking a little queasy.

“Yeah…family plot…cemetery?” My answer was slightly abrupt as I saw the same expression come across his features as the last two times we started to get hot and heavy in the alley. “Something wrong Ennis?” I heard the frustration bleeding into my voice, but this hot and cold shit needed to come to an end now, before I suffered a permanent case of blue balls.

He looked at me dully and then closed his eyes briefly as though it hurt him to see me there. I took a breath, ready to tell him to forget it after all, but then he let out a small sound that was a cross between a sob and a groan. I found myself wedged against the passenger door, covered by Ennis’s body. His hands were under my shirt, stroking the bare skin on my stomach and chest, his lips sucking hungrily at my neck.

Frustrated no more, I quickly overcame my surprise and thrust my hands into his hair, pulling him up until his mouth met mine.

“C’mere.” I whispered against his lips, teasing at his mouth with my tongue until he opened wide enough for me to slide it in with his. The taste of his mouth was addictive, smoky and sweet, and I deepened our kiss until the need to breathe made me break away, panting.

I arched my neck and raised my arms as he pushed my shirt up and slipped it over my head, and I shuddered as his teeth found my nipple and tugged roughly before soothing the slight sting with the smoothness of his lips. He murmured words I couldn’t distinguish as he worked his way with teeth and tongue from my chest to my stomach. I breathed his name like a prayer as he opened my jeans and nuzzled my hard and leaking cock through the cotton of my briefs.

I continued to restlessly tug on his hair, lifting my hips so he could slide my jeans and underwear past my thighs. He was sliding my dick into his mouth before I could catch my breath, and the jolt of electricity that I felt as his lips closed over the hard length of my cock had me banging the back of my head against the window at the exquisite sensation.

As he drew me further toward the back of his throat, I heard myself begging and pleading for him to suck me harder, faster, let me come deep inside his mouth. I wanted him to fuck me, and own me, and I needed to never let anything that felt as good as this disappear from my life.

I thrust shallowly into his mouth, feeling my release bearing down on me like a ton of fucking bricks, and as I teetered on the brink of ecstasy, I felt a fleeting pinch of discomfort at the base of my cock. Then the momentary pain dissipated as I fell headlong into the most intense orgasm I’d ever felt.

A sound like the rushing of the wind filled my head, and I may have blacked out for a minute, because the next thing I knew, Ennis had crawled his way back up my body. He whispered what sounded like “Mine” into my ear softly, before turning his head and pushing his tongue urgently into my mouth. I tasted myself and his now familiar flavor on my lips, but underneath was again the coppery hint of blood. I sucked hungrily at his tongue, and reached between us to stroke his arousal. His hand covered mine and we stroked together, the pre-cum leaking from his tip easing the way as he thrust into the tunnel of our joined hands.

I tried to capture his lips and pull him in for another kiss, but he pressed his face against my shoulder and cried out my name as I felt the heat of his release spray between us.

Slowly, our breathing returned to normal, but Ennis kept his face nuzzled deeply into my neck, his hot breath a comfort to me.

After a few minutes I shifted restlessly as the door handle pushed painfully into my spine. “Ennis? Damn, you are fine, boy, but I need to get up before I become a permanent part of your door over here.”

I laughed and brushed the hair away from his forehead as he finally raised his head to look at me. I felt my heart leap as his eyes met mine, and for the first time since I met him I thought the sadness that haunted his face had lifted. I felt a heady rush of power that I was the one who had chased that darkness away from him, even temporarily.

His expression changed to one of concern as I straightened up and let out a hiss of pain as my back protested the awkward angle I had been pressed into. I smiled and stroked his cheek gently, letting him know that I wasn’t permanently damaged.

“You okay?” he mumbled as he leaned his cheek into my caress, and I let my thumb idly play with his lips, laughing as he sucked it into his mouth.

“I’m fucking fabulous Ennis. I’m about to float away on cloud sixty-nine or something.” I laughed as I continued to rub his lips, but then I frowned as I saw a drop of blood on the corner of his mouth. “You bleeding, Ennis?”

He pulled his face away from me, and wiped his hand across his mouth. “It’s nothing, Jack. I guess I just bit my lip.”

“Yeah, well it did get a little wild there, didn’t it?” I saw that I was embarrassing him, so I lifted his mouth to mine and gently kissed his closed lips. “Maybe next time we can try something different.” I looked at him curiously. “You got a quilt or a blanket?”

“Uh…not in here…why?” He was confused, but also intrigued. Good.

“Then get one. Cause next time I want to try out the bed of this truck, and I don’t want to feel cold metal on my bare ass.” He stared at me in disbelief and then huffed out a surprised laugh. “So you like that idea, huh Ennis? Yeah, we’re gonna do a little quality control testing on this here Ford real soon.”

We straightened ourselves up as best as we could, and I moved in close to his side until he wrapped an arm around me and pulled my head in tight against his shoulder. We sat, silent and sated, enjoying the way our bodies fit together like the last two pieces of a jigsaw puzzle.

After a while I stirred and yawned. “Ennis, I’d love to stay here with you until the sun comes up, but I’ve got to get home and get a few hours sleep before my old man drags his ass out of bed and kicks mine if he’s up before me.” I tried to make a joke out of it, but the truth was that if I wasn’t ready and waiting for him when he stumbled down to the breakfast table, he’d more than likely take it out on my Momma for raising such a goddamn lazy good-for-nothing son.

I suddenly realized that Ennis had gone still beside me, and when I glanced over at him, I was startled by the anger I saw in his face.

“Your daddy beat on you, Jack?” I was disquieted by the menace in that simple question. I wanted to shout out, “Hell yes, he beats me!” But after years of covering up the reason for mysterious bruises and broken bones for my Momma’s sake, the only thing I could do was keep on lying, especially in the face of Ennis’s barely contained rage.

I wondered what his reaction would be when I inevitably showed up with a black eye or split lip. I instinctively knew that would be a very bad thing for Ennis to witness.

I was secretly flattered that I brought out such obviously strong feelings in this beautiful man, but at the same time the suppressed violence I glimpsed in his eyes worried me. I remembered something my Momma told me many years ago when I was naïve enough to still try to convince her to go to the hospital after the more vicious of the beatings. “Jack,” she would tell me with tears running down her cheeks, face pinched with pain, “Sometimes the cure is worse than the disease.” I never truly understood what she meant by that, at least not until I met Ennis Del Mar.

“No, Ennis, my old man and me don’t get along too well, but I can take care of myself. Don’t you worry about me. Now, you need to drive me a little closer to the ranch and as you watch my fine ass walking away, I want you to imagine what I’m gonna let you do to it the next time we’re alone together.”

He looked at me doubtfully and I was pretty sure he knew I was downplaying the troubles between me and my daddy, but he kept his peace for now.

I told him to turn off his headlights a good quarter of a mile from the house, and although I could tell he would have preferred dropping me off closer, he honored my wishes and watched silently as I opened the door and stepped out of the truck. He rolled his window down as I walked around to him, and I leaned in and pressed my lips to his fiercely, enjoying the passion that flared from that simple touch.

“I’m not working tonight, but I’m supposed to be on all weekend. We got a date for Friday night?” I pressed my forehead to his and laughed as we looked cross-eyed at each other. I was relieved to hear him let out a soft laugh as he cupped my face in his hands and gave me a chaste kiss.

“Okay…Friday it is, Jack.”

I squeezed his forearm as I turned to walk away and called over my shoulder teasingly, “That should give you plenty of time to find a quilt that will suit my delicate ass.” I felt his eyes watching me well past the point that the darkness should have blanketed me from his sight, and I couldn’t help but wonder if by letting Ennis Del Mar into my life I was playing with a fire that could only burn us both in the end.


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jack has Ennis on his mind, which leads to an unexpected visit

Although I was feeling mighty content when I left Ennis early Thursday morning, that euphoric buzz I had experienced in his company had pretty well deserted me come dawn. Starting a normal workday on a ranch with less than four hours of sleep is never really a wise thing to do, especially with John Twist cracking the whip over you.

Momma had gotten in the habit of waking me up fifteen minutes before she roused Daddy’s usually hung-over ass, giving me a head-start that kept me out of his path for most of the morning. I would be dressed, fed, and out of the house before he stomped down the stairs looking for a reason to start the day with a sucker punch.

On this particular morning, Momma appeared as usual to wake me, but goddamn if I didn’t fall back to sleep right after she walked back into the hallway. I felt as though weights were tied to my eyelids forcing them closed, and I quickly drifted off into a dream space where Ennis was waiting to enfold me in his strong arms as we tangled together in restful slumber.

“Jack!” my eyes snapped open at Momma’s warning cry from the doorway, but it was too late. Daddy was right behind her, shoving her roughly into the wall in his haste to get to me. I silently cursed as I saw her stumble and fall to the floor, her cry of pain muted from long years of practice.

Cruel hands grabbed me and dragged me from the bed, and I grunted as the back of my head connected solidly with the wood floor. As I lay there stunned by the fall, I closed my eyes and thought I heard Ennis’s voice calling my name in concern from a distance. My eyes snapped open in confusion, and I cried out in pain as the tip of Daddy’s boot dug viciously into my ribs. As I curled myself into a protective ball, Ennis’s voice echoed once again in my head, and this time I imagined I could see him struggling to free himself from a confined area, as though he could see through my eyes and was trying to come to my aid.

“Ennis?” I silently questioned, knowing it must be my imagination…but damn…it seemed so real. My attention was quickly drawn back to my present situation as Daddy’s boot caught me painfully in my side, knocking the breath from my lungs in a whoosh from the force of the blow.

I heard Momma’s panicked voice calling to Daddy from the hallway as I lay there groaning, still trying to figure out why a vision of Ennis’s concerned face was stubbornly stuck in my mind.

“John, leave him be. It’s my fault he’s not up yet. I let the time get away from me and didn’t realize I’d forgotten to wake him.” I cringed at her apologetic tone and cursed myself for making her have to lie and deal with more of his unwarranted anger for something that was my mistake.

“I am surrounded by useless pieces of shit, that’s a fact, woman.” I struggled to my feet as he turned his scorn in her direction. “For your sake, my breakfast better be hot and hearty or you’ll feel the back of my hand for more than just giving birth to that lazy excuse for a son in there.”

Their conversation grew fainter as Momma successfully lured the old man into the lower level of the house, and I prayed silently that she did have the bastard’s breakfast ready and waiting for him. I hissed as I slowly straightened up and twisted my torso experimentally. My side and ribs were sore as hell, but I could tell from long experience that this time I would be lucky enough to escape with only bruises. My skin would probably turn all the colors of the rainbow over the next few days, but I had dealt with much worse over the course of my life; this was no more than a scraped knee.

I quickly dressed and snuck out into the barn while Daddy was busy bitching at Momma in the kitchen as he shoveled his breakfast and mine into his miserable mouth. I knew that later in the morning Momma would try to find me to sneak me a few scraps, but I had my doubts she’d be able to locate me.

I planned on spending my day on the furthest boundaries of the ranch, patching the pitiful excuse for a fence that surrounded our land. Rotting wood nailed to more rotting wood was Daddy’s cheap ass way of keeping the cattle from straying onto neighboring lands. Of course the fact that our neighbor’s cattle often found their way onto our land via the broken fencing was another story. Many disputes had arisen over the years when Daddy refused to acknowledge or return cattle that clearly had innocently wandered onto our property past those decrepit fences.

I quickly saddled up and set off at a near neck-breaking clip to the distant fence line. I kept busy for the next few hours, alternating sweet daydreams of spending time in Ennis’s arms with the harsh reality of my life firmly pressed under Daddy’s thumb. My plan to take off with Momma to a safe and happy place was taking way too long, and I started to wonder if maybe there was some way Ennis could be the answer I hadn’t even known I’d been searching for.

The sun was sinking slowly onto the horizon when I finally approached the barn. I heaved a sigh of relief when I saw Daddy’s truck wasn’t anywhere in sight. It was Thursday night and he normally drove into town to hang out with his cronies at the local watering hole; with any luck he’d be gone until well after midnight and pass out as soon as his head hit the mattress.

I kissed Momma’s cheek as I entered the kitchen, wincing as I saw a fresh bruise below her left eye. “What happened?” I asked her gently as she bustled from the stove to the table, placing my dinner before me.

“It’s nothing, baby, just me being clumsy is all.” She wouldn’t meet my eyes, and we both knew she was lying. “Now, you must be famished. Eat up, it’ll make me happy.”

“Okay, Momma.” I smiled sadly at her, and started to eat, hoping for better days for both of us.

After dinner, I headed out to the barn to check on the livestock and wound up in the loft, feet swinging out over the second-story door. As I sat there watching twilight fall over the tired land I called home, I suddenly noticed a figure walking toward the barn from the direction of the back pasture. I squinted as the deepening dusk made it difficult to identify if it was one of our neighbors, or perhaps a day laborer looking for some work. But as the figure drew closer, I straightened up in surprise, and felt my heart begin to pound faster in a mix of excitement and fear as I recognized the familiar shape of Ennis Del Mar.

I looked nervously toward the house, and noted with relief that my Daddy’s truck was still missing. I glanced back at the pasture and furrowed my brows in confusion when I saw how quickly Ennis had crossed the meadow. He had apparently spotted me and I stood up to greet him as he stopped almost directly beneath me, looking up at me with barely contained concern.

“Jack!” he called up to me. “You all right?”

“Christ, Ennis! Get your ass up here pronto!” I thanked my lucky stars that he had picked Daddy’s night out to lose his fucking mind and show up on my doorstep. “My old man will castrate us both if he catches you here.”

I could barely see him in the rapidly descending nightfall, but I got the fleeting sensation that a distinctly unfriendly expression crossed over his face at the mention of my Daddy. He hesitated for a moment as though unsure of how to get to me, and until I gestured toward the front of the barn I half-expected him to try to jump up next to me.

I was waiting at the top of the ladder when his head appeared, followed quickly by the rest of his fine body. I would be a liar if I said that I didn’t notice that he was obviously very happy to see me as soon as he stood before me.

He cupped my face in his rough hands and pressed an anxious kiss upon my closed lips. “Are you unharmed?” He released my face and began a gentle, yet thorough inventory of my body from shoulder to knees. He watched my reaction closely and paused when I winced as he slid his hands down my side. “That hurt?” he demanded, his voice husky with concern.

“Just a little sore is all.” I answered him quietly, wondering what in the hell was up with the man now. He reached into the waistband of my jeans and pulled my shirt loose. I grabbed him by the wrists and stopped him.

“Don’t take this the wrong way, Ennis, but what do you think you’re doing?” I was damned glad to see him, and the man was fucking gorgeous, but I felt like I was in my doctor’s office getting a physical, and that was not putting me in an amorous mood at all.

“I need to know that you’re okay, Jack,” he answered trying to shake free of my hands.

“Why wouldn’t I be okay?” I asked him suspiciously, suddenly remembering the odd sensation I had felt that morning when my Daddy had been kicking my ass and I imagined I heard Ennis calling to me. Was it possible that I hadn’t imagined it at all?

He chewed on his bottom lip and seemed to hesitate before speaking. “Mmm…no reason really…I guess I was just worried that your Daddy caught you sneaking in the house or something and maybe hurt you.”

I wasn’t convinced, but I had told him a little about my Daddy’s violent nature so I guess he could just be overreacting. It was just a strange co-incidence after what had happened earlier. I felt a slight tingle shoot down my spine as I realized that I liked the way Ennis was so concerned about me, almost like a real boyfriend would be. I smiled at him, and let go of his wrists.

“Naw, I’m fine boy, but you just go ‘bout your business. Sorry I interrupted your exploration.” I gave him a sultry smile and cocked my hip in his direction, offering him free rein to continue his examination.

He looked at me with a mixture of desire and consternation, but his hands finished untucking my shirt until he could push it up my torso easily. I gasped softly as his warm skin brushed across my stomach, and I closed my eyes when he dropped to his knees before me, his fingers unclasping my belt and opening my fly impatiently.

I swayed slightly as I felt his tongue gently licking my navel, and I reached up to unbutton my shirt to give him maximum access to my body. His mouth travelled from one part of my heated flesh to another, and when his lips closed over my nipple and he bit down roughly, I thrust my hands into his soft hair and pulled him closer to me.

My nipple was aching in a way that went straight to my dick when he released it, but he immediately soothed it with broad strokes of his tongue, leaving me feeling like I could come from that alone. When he lavished the same attention to the other nub, I moaned his name in intense pleasure, and heard myself begging him to fuck me.

He pushed the shirt from my shoulders and I almost whimpered as he released me and moved away, but then I felt his heat of his body behind me and I bared my neck to him as he nuzzled against my naked shoulder. He carefully nipped a trail from my collarbone to my ear, and I knew he was being careful not to leave any marks that might be noticed.

He slid his arms around my chest, and using only his palms he ghosted his way slowly down my torso, making me sink to my knees from the erotic sensations that were flooding my brain from his touch. He dropped to his knees behind me, and I pressed my back against his chest, joining our bodies in as many places as possible. His lips continued to caress my neck as his fingers pushed their way into the open fly of my jeans, freeing my erection into the waiting tunnel of his hands.

He groaned as he felt the wetness on the tip of my cock, and he brought his damp finger up to his lips and sucked, whispering in my ear that my spunk was the sweetest thing he had ever tasted. I responded by impatiently pushing my jeans down past my ass, twisting my head until I was meeting his mouth with mine in a wet tangle of teeth and tongue. I recoiled slightly from the coppery hint of blood I found there, but my head was quickly swimming with the need to get him inside of me…now, now, now!

I thrust my fingers into our joined mouths and he moaned my name as he realized my intentions. I reached down between my legs and began to open myself with my wet fingers, whispering to him to remove his pants and get ready to fuck me. I leaned forward to give him room, three of my fingers now stretching my ass and giving him a good view as he coated his own fingers with balm and prepared himself quickly.

When I felt his naked cock sliding wetly along my crack, I removed my fingers and guided him to my waiting hole. I cursed as I felt the tip nudging too gently at the entrance, and as I felt the head push slowly through, I thrust back as hard as I could, the pain ripping a shout from my throat and briefly making me feel lightheaded and dizzy. Ennis didn’t move for a few moments, and I think he was a little surprised by my aggressive behavior. But as I dropped to all fours and moaned my encouragement loudly, he was soon pumping his hips in a rhythm that I found to be extremely satisfying.

He grabbed my hips and pulled me back, searching for the angle that would make me lose my fucking mind. He found it just as his hand reached around and joined mine where I was stroking my dick in time to his thrusts. I panted out his name as I began to shoot, and as my ass muscles clenched tightly on his cock, I felt him pulse his release deep within me.

I dropped flat to the floor and he followed me down, shifting his weight at the last second so he wasn’t crushing me. He didn’t pull out and I hoped he would stay inside of me, the feeling of fullness was always something I craved like a drug, and with Ennis I knew I was addicted after just one high.

His softening cock slipped out much too quickly, but as I started to roll over to tease him about staying power and slow recovery time, I heard him let out a string of curses and I felt his trembling hand brush against my side. I stiffened as I realized he had spotted the bruises from my Daddy’s kicks, and I turned my head to try to see his reaction.

He had jumped to his feet and had his jeans pulled up and fastened before I could even sit up. His back was to me, and as I struggled to my feet, my only thought was to make him understand that while a part of me enjoyed the thought of him wanting to protect me, I was not going to be the fucking damsel in distress in whatever this thing was that we had started together.

I approached him slowly, my outstretched hand reaching for his shaking shoulder. His face was buried in his hands, and his muffled voice sounded so strange to me that I paused in my tracks, suddenly wary about touching the man who had just finished fucking me.

“Stay away, Jack.” His voice rasped, his tone dark and low, reminding me of all of the things I feared in the night when I would hide under my covers as a child. My mind was reeling at Ennis’s constant mood swings and I although I was disturbed by the barely leashed violence I felt coming off of him in waves, I didn’t feel like I was the focus of his anger.

I let my hand drop inches from his shoulder, and I began to walk around him, hoping to get a glimpse of his face and perhaps try to understand what had happened to our post-coital bliss. I was definitely feeling cheated out of the usual after-fuck cuddling I sought out in my sexual partners, even one night stands, and I sure as hell didn’t put Ennis into the one shot thing category.

The loft was illuminated only by the dim and flickering light of a kerosene lantern, and Ennis was huddled in the corner furthest from the light. I approached him cautiously, as I would a wounded animal.

“Ennis.” I was speaking barely above a whisper, intent only on finding out if this was just a reaction to my bruised ribs and side, or if there was something more seriously wrong here. I could almost see his face, so I crooned, “C’mere boy. We need to talk about what’s happening here.” I stopped in front of him and bent my knees slightly, trying to see his expression through the mask of his hands.

He tried to turn away from me, but I grabbed his arm firmly and held him in place. I stepped closer and pushed his hands aside, biting my lip in frustration at his tightly shut eyes. Every muscle in his body was screaming out his tension and internal struggle to regain control…but control against what?

“Look at me.” I whispered again, this time daring to place my palm gently on his cheek. I held my breath and waited for his response.

“I’m so sorry Jack.” His voice was choked, and just before he pulled away, his eyes caught mine in an unnaturally red and glowing stare. I was still trying to understand what I was seeing, when he suddenly turned and leapt the two stories to the hard ground below.

I shouted his name and ran to the edge of the loft door, teetering to keep my balance as I searched the ground in vain for his broken body.

The night was eerily quiet except for my panicked, panting breaths. 

Ennis Del Mar had disappeared without a trace.


	5. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jack has Ennis on his mind which leads to an unexpected visit.

The next night I was late getting into work. Daddy had woken up with the hangover from hell after drinking his ass stupid in town, which meant when he finally dragged his carcass out of bed, he fucking trailed me for the entire day, clear into sunset.

Momma placed dinner on the table round about nine o’clock that night, wringing her hands nervously where Daddy couldn’t see her. She knew the direction her evening was likely to be taking, and I grit my teeth and bit my tongue to keep myself from issuing a warning to the old man about what I’d do to him if she was displaying any new bruises in the morning. Sadly, I knew that most likely her injuries would be in a place no one was apt to see.

After dinner was over, Daddy made a point of shoving my ass out the door to go patrolling for predators, letting me know in no uncertain terms that I wouldn’t be welcome back in the house until dawn.

“If your lazy ass needs to catch a few winks, use the barn, but don’t expect to slack off sleeping in. I’ll expect you up bright and early tomorrow. The herd needs to be moved to the western pasture, there ain’t nothing but scrub left for them to be grazing on in that lower meadow.”

I kept my mouth shut, but fodder for the cattle in the western pasture was just as scarce as it was in the lower meadow. Daddy loved to complain about the poor prices his animals fetched at auction, but the truth was he got more than he deserved most of the time. Shit, most of our herd probably wasn’t fit for dog food.

I was usually at the bar by ten o’clock on Friday nights, and as I was jostling along in the back of an old pick-up, hitching my normal ride in, it was already closing in on eleven.

I suddenly got the strangest sensation that someone was watching me. Now, it was a hot and humid summer night, and there were long stretches with nothing but open range surrounding the road. The night mist swirled eerily along close to the ground making it impossible to see more than a few feet in any direction.

“Jack.” I started and whipped my head quickly around, the sound of my name ringing in my ears so clear although I could see that I was still completely alone. It was Ennis’s voice, I would bet my puny life’s savings on that, just like I was now sure it was Ennis’s voice I had heard the previous day when my daddy was knocking me around in my bedroom.

I heard my name again and closed my eyes, concentrating on getting a picture of Ennis in my mind. It fucking worked too, and it seemed to me that he looked at me in surprise before smiling shyly and rubbing his face tiredly.

“Jack, you ok?” the Ennis in my head asked me anxiously.

“Ennis, what the hell are you doing in my brain?” I loved the fact that he was concerned about me, but unless Daddy’s fist had knocked something loose the last time he clocked me, I was about to have a conversation with someone who wasn’t physically with me.

“I was worried about you. You were late and I was having a difficult time seeing you.” His voice was like the caress of a gentle breeze, his expression that of tender concern. It was comforting, but it didn’t change the fact that he wasn’t with me.

“That’s very touching and all, but that still doesn’t explain …” I gestured wildly into the night’s darkness, hoping my ride wasn’t watching me argue with myself in his rearview mirror. “…this.”

My mental picture of Ennis shrugged and looked guilty for a moment. “I can explain this to you better when I’m with you. The...” he hesitated briefly, “…bond between us isn’t meant to be used for casual conversation.”

“Fine, Ennis. We’ll talk later, like normal people, face to face, about what the hell is going on. Don’t forget you’re supposed to be giving me a ride home, so no bullshitting me about this psychic connection bond thing or I swear I will have nothing more to do with you.” I was being a shit to him, but if this was just my imagination then no harm had been done.

Maybe If it was true, it would open up a whole new can of worms, like, how had this happened in the first place, and what part had Ennis played in “bonding” with me.

I was pretty sure I had only given him permission to invade my ass, and not my brain, but my life wasn’t exactly a bowl of cherries, and this certainly wouldn’t qualify as the worst thing that had ever happened to me.

I guess Ennis decided to wait and talk to me in person like I’d requested, because suddenly I knew that he was gone, and I was alone again with my thoughts. I didn’t feel him leave or anything strange like that, but I became aware of a part of myself that felt curiously empty. It was like that feeling you get when you’re dreaming, and you can’t quite get to something that you know is just outside of your reach. I guess Ennis controlled the on/off switch.

For the rest of the trip into town, I wondered at the calm way I was accepting all the bizarre things that had begun to occur since I’d met Ennis Del Mar. If I had gone to the movies and the hero had experienced even a fraction of the weird things I had, I would have been telling him to get the hell away from the mysterious, handsome stranger while he still could. Shit, I’d be telling him to fucking run away as fast as he could.

But, if I was honest with myself, I’d have to admit that since Ennis had appeared in my life, I was happier. I felt like just maybe, Momma and I would be able to escape from Daddy, who was a hell of a lot meaner than most of the movie villains Hollywood dreamed up.

I knew that Ennis cared about me, and I was pretty damned sure I was more than halfway in love with him. But I needed to be strong and get some real answers from him tonight after work, when we were alone and not likely to be interrupted. I hadn’t done a very good job of sticking to my guns so far where Ennis was concerned, at least not for someone as full of piss and vinegar as Momma has always told me I am.

When I got to the bar, Ennis was lurking in the shadows, obviously waiting for me. I felt a now familiar jolt at the sight of him, and a desire to push him deeper into the darkness so I could ravage his mouth for an hour or two, but I satisfied myself with a smile and an arm around his shoulders. I ignored the spark of annoyance that flashed on his face when I pulled him quickly into the bar with me, instead of somewhere private which was obviously his intention.

“Later, Ennis.” I whispered to him as I dropped my arm from around him and raised my hand in greeting to Mike and the rest of the regulars clustered in various spots around the bar.

“Sorry I’m late, Mike.” I stepped in closer to him, and explained that there had been a slight ‘domestic situation’ at home. He nodded briskly, and grabbed my arm as I went to brush by him on my way to the back to pick up my order book. “Everything all right with Angel-face?” he tossed his head in Ennis’s general direction. “He seemed a little anxious before you got here. He was making some of the customers nervous, he was strung so tight.”

I looked over at Ennis, who had settled himself at his regular table, and was morosely playing with the label on his beer bottle. “Yeah, well…me and him need to have a little talk after work. I really like him, Mike, but we have to see about setting a few ground rules before things go any further between us.”

Ennis caught my gaze on him, and blushed. I felt my heart flop around in my chest and I wondered again at the curious paradox the man appeared to be. How the hell could be sit there looking so innocent and unassuming, when I had experienced first-hand the aggression and sheer raw magnetism that pulled me under like a wave in the ocean whenever I was alone with him?

“Jack!” Mike pulled my attention away from hypnotic brown eyes. “You watch your fucking back with him, you hear me?” He gave my arm a firm shake, before letting me go. “There’s something different about him, something dangerous, and I been around the block a few million times more than you, so my instincts are pretty fucking good. He’s trouble.”

I stared at Mike for a few seconds, surprised at how adamant he’d been in his warning. Mike was a fairly even-tempered type of guy, and I had never seen him as dead serious about anything as he was about his opinion of Ennis.

I glanced back over at Ennis, the doubt I was feeling clearly written on my face. His eyes narrowed in suspicion, and I saw his gaze flicker in Mike’s direction before his attention returned to me, eyebrows raised in question. I quickly schooled my face into a weak smile, shaking my head and mouthing, “Later” to him, not waiting for his response before I hurried into the kitchen to get control of myself.

It was a typical busy Friday night, and by the time I had a chance to catch my breath, it was 2 a.m. and Mike was shouting out for last call. I hadn’t taken a break since I had been almost two hours late to start with, and as I was helping Mike clear up some empties from the bar, I finally had a chance to check up on Ennis.

He was still sitting there, looking bored and slightly pouty. His eyes met mine immediately, his gaze as intense as always, but I detected a hint of worry hiding there as well this time.

“You okay, Ennis? Need another one?” I called over to him and held up a fresh beer. He shook his head, ‘No’, and went back to staring morosely at the pool game that was wrapping up in the corner.

I sighed and went back to cleaning up, hoping to get the hell out of there before it got too much later. At this rate, sleep was not going to be in the cards for me tonight. I must have sighed again, because Mike slapped his beefy paw down on the bar and growled in my general direction. “Get the fuck out of here, Jack. Go have a heart-to-heart with your sweetie-pie, and when you get back here for your next shift, I expect this moping shit to be behind you.”

I perked up immediately and bumped myself up against Mike happily, whispering, “Thanks Boss-man, I promise we’ll work things out, and I’ll be grinning from ear-to-ear next time you see me.”

“Yeah, just remember what I told you earlier, and don’t think with your dick. Now, get lost.”

I threw my work apron in the back, and practically danced my way over to Ennis, who was watching me closely, as though unsure of my mood. I felt a twinge of guilt. He had been hanging out at the bar all night to be with me, and I hadn’t even bothered to give him the time of day. I at least owed him a kiss.

I leaned over and placed one hand on either side of his chair, moving in close so I could get a good whiff of his scent. It was beer and cigarettes, after-shave and naked male musk, and I heard his breath catch in his throat as I nuzzled gently beneath his neck.

“Hey there,” I whispered, as I raised my head and pressed a soft kiss to his still smooth jaw. “I did miss you. And I’m sorry I didn’t do this earlier.” I moved my lips over his, and kept the contact light, almost delicate, but as I felt him tremble beneath me, I deepened the kiss, and swept my right hand through his hair, stopping at the nape of his neck as I pushed his mouth more firmly against mine. I pulled back and rested my forehead gently against his, murmuring, “Let’s go. “

I turned and headed toward the exit, confident that Ennis was hot on my heels. This time, I walked right over to his truck and stood there impatiently waiting for him to let me in. We needed to talk, but right now, my dick was telling me that talk was overrated, and that maybe getting the edge off the sexual frustration that was growing in me by the second might be the better course of action.

Ennis slid into his seat, put the key in the ignition, and grunted as I pressed him into the cold metal of the driver’s side door. The surprised look on his face just made me want him more, and I heard the echo of his voice saying my name in the back of my mind as I ground my mouth against his, and allowed the word, ‘Mine’ to drift into my sub-conscious, hoping that Ennis could hear me in this bizarre way we seemed to be able to communicate.

He groaned into my mouth as I pushed my tongue aggressively inside, searching eagerly for his. My hands on either side of his head, held him still…a captive to my sudden and unexpected passion.

My tongue explored every inch of his mouth, and I paused for just a moment when I felt a sharp pressure followed by a slight pinching sensation that travelled across the surface of my tongue. The pain was brief and I considered pulling away, until I realized that Ennis was sucking gently on my tongue, the coppery tang familiar enough that I knew I was bleeding, but there was no urgency or panic that came with that knowledge. The sensation had become pure, erotic pleasure and it was unlike anything I’d ever experienced before.

My fingers released his head, and I willingly handed control back over to him. My head was swimming and I could hear his voice soothing me somewhere deep inside. I felt no fear, only a renewed desire to claim him, even as I allowed him free rein over the very essence of my life.

I opened my eyes and found him watching me through half-closed lids. His pupils were glowing in the moonlight and I found myself sinking happily into their depths, confident that he was not going to harm me, although I had only instinct to guide me.

He finally pulled away, his breathing harsh and erratic, and I saw a flash of fear in his eyes as he saw me watching him. A single drop of my blood hovered on his lips, and I leaned forward and swept my tongue across, scooping up the errant drop and pushing it slowly back into his open mouth.

I lazily explored, letting my tongue slide softly across what can only be described as fangs, teasingly pushing the tip of my tongue against the sharpened points, and feeling myself harden as the action drew a moan from deep within Ennis’s chest.

I left his mouth behind and worked the buttons on his shirt free, one at a time, licking and sucking every inch of his skin as it was exposed to me. I circled his nipples slowly, first with my fingers, then tongue and finally with my teeth, catching the brown nub and nipping sharply, smiling as he started to writhe beneath me, his hard cock straining against the front of his now obscenely tight jeans.

I popped open the fly, nosing my way downward toward his navel, and the fine blond hairs below, that pointed the way invitingly to his cock. I was not in a hurry, and I spent some time fucking his navel with my tongue, sliding my fingers through the moist trail I left behind, noticing that I still tasted blood and must be spreading it as I worked my way across his body.

The thought should have bothered me, or at least made me put on the brakes and move on to that little discussion we were supposed to be having, but Ennis was like a drug and I was well on my way to being hopelessly addicted.

I stopped long enough to release his cock from its denim prison, palming it firmly and spreading the slick from the tip along his length. I raised my eyes to his face, taking in the glowing eyes, feral expression, and clearly defined fangs, and I knew that I should be pissing my pants in fright, running away from this unnatural predator that could kill me as easily as kiss me. But his hands were gently running through my hair, and his voice inside of me, was calming, not threatening.

It felt right. It felt like something I had been waiting for my whole life.

It felt like my destiny.


	6. Chapter 6

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ennis tries to explain a few things to Jack.

“You’re right, Jack.” Ennis spoke quietly, and I pulled my head up from his lap at the sadness I heard in his voice.

“Huh?” I absently stroked his cock as I tried to focus on his words. It wasn’t an easy task as his warm dick pulsed and twitched seductively against my fingers.

“Stop.” He gently grabbed my wrist and removed it from his cock, bringing my hand up to his face and kissing my palm gently. “I think we need to have that talk before we go any further.”

“Huh.” It wasn’t a question on my part this time, just a general acknowledgment that his being the one to slow things down was an unexpected and frustrating turn of events to me.

Ennis pushed me until I was sitting upright next to him on the bench seat, covering his open fly and exposed erection with his T-shirt, and putting the truck into gear.

Shit! He was really serious about talking first and fucking later. So much for my brilliant plan of taking the edge off before we had our heart-to-heart. But then I remembered glowing eyes and sharp teeth, and I shivered at the memory. Maybe Ennis had the right idea after all.

I put my hand to my head trying to pull myself together enough so that I would at least be coherent for our delayed conversation. I could almost see Mike shaking his head in frustration at all of his advice that I had promptly ignored.

I stole a quick glance at Ennis’s grim profile, and had to acknowledge that maybe Mike understood more than I had given him credit for when it came to….what? What the fuck was Ennis? I had read scary books and comics, and visited the Saturday afternoon Monster Movie Marathons in town on a few occasions over the years. There was no denying that Ennis was something not quite human, and while I should have jumped out of the truck and hightailed it back into the bar as soon as Ennis had started snacking on my blood, I was still more curious than scared.

I realized I hadn’t asked him to explain what he meant when he had said that I was right earlier. “Right about what?” my voice cracked a little, so I cleared my throat and waited for his answer.

He was quiet for so long, I had almost decided he had changed his mind about talking, but then I heard a whisper that echoed softly in my mind, “I am your destiny…and you are mine.”

I saw a familiar driveway approaching on our right, and I quickly instructed him, “Turn right!” I knew the dirt road led to an abandoned feed store that had a parking lot that would shield us from any traffic on the main road. It was maybe more privacy than I wanted given the circumstances, but I only sensed anxiety in Ennis’s body language, nothing about him made me feel like he meant me any harm.

As soon as he parked, he flipped the headlights off and turned to face me. He looked nervous, but he reached out to take my hand, and I let him.

“What the hell is going on, Ennis? Who….what…are you?” I gripped his hand tightly; I wasn’t sure I could handle what he was going to tell me without some sort of physical connection to him. I had a feeling it would be bad, but at that moment, his fingers surrounding mine were the only things that were grounding me.

“I am who I say I am, Jack. My name is Ennis Del Mar, and my family owned a ranch in Wyoming. They settled on a spread just outside of Riverton in 1840.” He paused and watched my face carefully; waiting to see if I had anything I wanted to say.

Truth was, I had plenty I wanted to say, but Momma always told me to get all the facts before making any sort of an important decision, and I had a strong feeling this was one of those circumstances, so I just nodded for him to continue.

He hesitated, and seemed to be searching for a way to go on. I squeezed his fingers in encouragement, and he took a deep breath and blew my fucking mind.

“I was born in 1844 on that ranch and I died in 1863, but not before I met you, Jack, in the Summer of 1863.”

I dropped his hand, scrambled for the door handle and stumbled my way clumsily from the truck. I heard him calling to me in my mind, and I covered my face with my hands, struggling to wrap my brain around the fucking bomb he had just dropped on me.

Was he insane? Was he some sort of crazed serial killer who specialized in luring young men to a violent end? But, if what he said was true, and I damned well had seen something not human in his appearance back in the bar parking lot with my own eyes….if he was being honest with me, then what did that make him? And even more unsettling…what did that make me, if he claimed to have met me 100 years ago?

I felt him step close behind me, and I stiffened tensely. He didn’t try to touch me, but he stood his ground, and didn’t move away. I turned to face him, certain that he would look different to me, altered in some way now that he had confirmed that he couldn’t be an ordinary man, but when I met his eyes I only saw Ennis looking back at me, not a stranger wearing his face…just a man who was an alluring mix of shyness and strength…a man who believed he had first met me 100 years ago.

I couldn’t help it; I shivered and wrapped my arms around myself. The night wasn’t chilly, but I felt a coldness that had nothing to do with the temperature trying to attach itself to my very core.

Ennis watched me silently for a moment before heading back over to the truck and pulling something from behind the front seat. He walked back to me and gently placed a thick comforter over my shoulders. I pulled it tightly over my arms, smiling weakly in thanks at his concern.

“It was supposed to be for your fine ass.” He mumbled as he reached out and touched the edge of the quilt, and I barked out a laugh at the memory.

That first night we were together, I had told him to bring a quilt the next time he drove me home so we could fuck in the bed of his truck in comfort. I felt a sharp stab of regret that we might not get to use it for the intended purpose tonight, or any other night.

“C’mere.” I pulled the tailgate open and slid myself up into the truck bed. I motioned for him to join me, and he hopped up next to me.

“Now that you’ve added 100 years to my life, you need to explain just what the hell you’re talking about.” I looked at him expectantly. My mind was racing. I leaned my thigh against his deliberately, trying to add something familiar into a conversation that was bound to be anything but normal.

“Let’s start simple.” I patted his knee and left my hand resting there. “How did we meet?”

He let his breath out in a long sigh, covering my hand with his as he started to speak. He gazed out into the inky blackness of the summer night, and I knew he was watching events unfold as he described them to me.

“We met in Signal, when we both showed up looking for work. We ended up watching sheep up on a mountain called Brokeback, keeping the flock safe from predators while they were grazing in the high meadows during the summer.” He looked over at me, and I swear his smile was the most beautiful sight I had ever seen. “We were all alone up there, only heading down to a meet point to stock up on supplies every week or two. You were annoying as hell at first, wouldn’t shut the fuck up, complaining about the food, the sleeping arrangements…you were a real pain in the ass, Jack.” He reached over and gave my jaw a playful tap with his fist. “But after a few weeks…we became…friends.” He opened his fist and gently stroked my cheek. “That time we spent up there on that mountain, it was the best time of my life.”

I leaned into his touch and imagined what that summer must have been like for us. No one to tell us what to do, all the time in the world to play, and fuck, and get to know each other in a way we never could have managed given the constraints of society 100 years ago. “That sounds like heaven to me, Ennis. What happened?”

That sad look settled on his face, and although I knew he had to tell me the whole sorry story, part of me wanted to stop him now, and say it didn’t matter, what happened in the past should stay in the past, but I knew we couldn’t go on now without getting this all out in the open.

Ennis shrugged and squeezed my knee again. “Summer ended. We both went home to our families…we parted ways.”

I didn’t quite buy this part of the story. “That’s it? We just said good-bye at the end of the summer, shook hands, and went our separate ways?”

He looked down at his feet guiltily. “We said we’d keep in touch…write each other, and try to meet up somewhere…go camping or fishing so no one would be suspicious, way out in the ass-end of nowhere.”

“Really?” I smiled at the thought of such a clever plan, but then I sobered as I realized that something must have gone wrong. “But that didn’t happen, did it?”

Ennis frowned as he stared out into the distance again. “About a month after I got home the ranch was…attacked. My family was murdered, and I became something…different…what I am now.”

“A vampire?” my voice cracked at the word, and Ennis shuddered silently as I finally named the three ton elephant that stood between us.

Ennis turned his head slowly, and I saw that his eyes were filled with tears. I watched with a combination of sadness and fascination as the tears ran down his face, unchecked and bloody.

“I tried to find you…get word to you, but when we are newly turned, our control is…poor, and we have trouble curbing our…hungers. I couldn’t trust anyone to tell you to wait for me, and there was no way you would have believed them anyway, so I let you think that I had died with the rest of my family. As far as everyone who knew the Del Mar’s was concerned, I had died that night anyway”

I reached out and caught one of the bloody tears on my thumb, holding it up for him to see. “What happened to me? Did you ever see me again?”

“About four years later I was strong enough to look for you. I finally tracked you down in 1867, you had joined the rodeo, and travelled across the western states performing during the summer months. The night I was going to reveal myself to you…” he stopped and covered his face with his hands. “There was an accident, you took a bad fall off a bull, and you broke your neck and died. I was right there, and I couldn’t do a damn thing to stop it. We should have been getting ready to spend an eternity together, and instead I was helpless to save you.”

I pressed myself against him, trying to comfort him as he wept for me…well, for someone who had apparently looked just like me and shared my name.

“Ennis, I’m so sorry.” I whispered in his ear, hoping that he would leave those awful memories behind. “I’m here now, Ennis. It’s all right, I promise it’ll be all right.” I was cooing the way I’d heard my Momma soothe a neighbor’s crying baby, rocking him in my arms as he mourned.

“It wasn’t me, Ennis. It was one of my ancestors, not me.”

“No Jack, you’re wrong.” He raised his head and glared at me though blood-tinged eyes. “It was you, not your great-great uncle or cousin, it was your soul, and I’ve been searching for you all this time. Every time I find you, you get taken away from me because I’m too late, or too weak, or you’ve found someone else to spend your life with, but this time I can’t lose you, Jack. Please tell me that this time we’ll have a chance for our forever.”


	7. Chapter 7

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ennis tries to explain a few things to Jack. Jack struggles to believe him.

“Ennis,” I grabbed both of his hands in mind and gripped them tightly. “I don’t know what to think right now. Whatever I expected you to tell me, it was nothing like this.”

He looked away and several bloody tears ran down his face. My heart was breaking for him, but as crazy as it might seem to be sitting there with a vampire, it was even harder for me to accept the idea that I had lived before. If what Ennis was saying was true, I had had multiple previous lives; all somehow connected to Ennis Del Mar.

“Look,” my mind was racing, and I needed more information from him, no matter how bizarre. “You say you keep finding me and then losing me, right?”

He nodded and started stroking the back of my hand absently, as though he was trying to convince himself that I was real.

“How can that be? Do I always look the same…have the same name? How could you possibly find me if not?” I wasn’t trying to reject what he had told me, obviously he wasn’t quite human anymore, and if Hollywood was right, vampires could live a whole lot longer than one hundred years.

Ennis chewed on his thumbnail and seemed to be struggling with what he wanted to say in answer to my questions. “No, Jack. You are not the same each time you are reborn. But this time, you could be the identical twin to the Jack I knew when I was still alive. It’s what gives me hope that we are finally destined to be together this time.” He brushed a stray lock of hair from my forehead, and pressed his lips against my temple.

“But how were you able to find me in the past? You said we were only together for the one summer, and after that we didn’t see each other again because I died.” I knew there was a missing piece to his story, something he was reluctant to tell me, although how anything could trump his being undead and my being reincarnated was almost impossible to imagine.

“We did see each other briefly before your accident.” Ennis spoke slowly and hopped down off the tailgate to stand a short distance from the truck. The night mist curled in small tendrils at his feet, making him appear to flicker from a solid figure to apparition and back again. I shivered and wrapped the blanket tighter. I knew I wasn’t going to like the rest of this confession.

“When I caught up with you, it was at that rodeo in Texas. I was so relieved to have finally found you again, that I came to you in the middle of the night, even though I knew that wasn’t the wisest choice to make.”

He turned to look at me as he spoke, but his face was in the shadows and I was unable to see his expression. I could hear from the mix of dread and sadness in his voice that the reunion had not been a joyful one.

“You were sleeping in the bunkhouse with the other competitors, but I was able to sneak in undetected. It’s one of the advantages of my kind.”

I moved closer by inches, drawn to his voice, mesmerized by the story that was unfolding before me, certain that many of my questions would soon be answered, yet suddenly afraid to hear the truth.

“At first, you were happy to see me. You said it was the best surprise you’d ever had in your life, and when I suggested we go somewhere more private to talk, you agreed. We walked the rodeo grounds and found a secluded spot a good distance from everything.

You couldn’t believe I was alive since you had heard what had happened to my family’s ranch when I didn’t get in touch with you after that first summer. You couldn’t stop touching me. You were so relieved and thankful that we were together again.”

I continued to approach him, needing to get close enough to see his face as he spoke, unable to shake off the feeling that this was a story I should already know.

“This thing we had between us had not faded over time. It was as though we were still alone on that mountain, lost in a world of our own. Only this time, I was different. I had been forced to become a monster…a killer…and I had very little control over my reactions.” He covered his face with his hands and shook his head sadly.

“What happened, Ennis?” I whispered the question into the hushed pre-dawn air, afraid of the answer, but knowing deep inside that whatever had happened, I had not died at this man’s hands. He would never hurt me, of that fact I had no doubt. I closed the remaining distance between us, and gently pulled his hands away from his face.

“We made love,” he sighed at the memory, and I smiled because I knew that if there had been more light, I would have seen a blush color his cheeks. “It was amazing…I had missed you so much, Jack…so fucking much.” He frowned and I held my breath, knowing that the rest of this story was not going to be that we lived happily ever after.

“But then I started to lose control, and while we were kissing, I accidentally cut you with my fangs. I made you bleed. I was still such a young vampire, and my maker had never stayed around to instruct me in the ways of our kind. You were frightened, and you started to pull away, but I was stronger than you and I didn’t want to let you go….” His words slowed to a painful stop, and he looked at me beseechingly, as though begging me to forgive him, although I had no memory of any of what he was saying.

I reached out a gentle hand and touched his shoulder, jumping a little as he flinched away, but stubbornly placing my hand right back on his tense biceps. “Go on, Ennis. We can’t move on until we get this behind us.”

He drew in a shaky breath, and finally met my gaze dead on. “I was afraid that if I let you go, you would disappear and I would never see you again. I thought that given a little time, you might just come to accept the changes in me…that maybe you would agree to become like me, so we could be together always.” His eyes never wavered, and I nodded my head to encourage him to go on. “I would never have done anything to force you, Jack. It would have had to be your choice, and I would have agreed to whatever decision you ultimately made. But, right then, at that moment, I did do something without your consent, but I swear it was just because I panicked and didn’t know any better…” His voice trailed off and I grabbed his chin so he couldn’t avoid my gaze.

“What did you do, Ennis?” I spoke softly, letting the hand that gripped his chin relax enough that I could turn the touch into a slight caress.

“I shared my blood with you. It was just a few drops, mixed with our saliva, as I pressed our lips together one last time, but it was enough.”

“Enough for what, Ennis?” I thought I knew the answer, but I needed to hear him say it out loud.

“It was enough to form a bond between us. A bond between our souls, one that death does not sever.” He leaned in and pressed his forehead to mine, seeming to be relieved when I did not pull away.

“And that’s how you’re sure it’s always been me, not just one of my relatives for the past one hundred fucking years.” As crazy as the whole situation was, much of it now made perfect sense, and although I should have been mad at him for forcing this bond upon me, a large part of me was relieved that he had done so, because otherwise, I might never have met him in this life.

He nodded, watching me warily, as though expecting me to strike out at him in anger. But, how could I be angry with him? He did what he did out of love for me, out of a fear of being alone for an eternity. Who wouldn’t have tried to hold on with any means possible to their soul mate in those circumstances?

“How did I react?” I winced as I saw the shadows race into his face, his expression one of despair as he remembered.

“You were real angry at me, and scared of me, too. You told me to get the fuck away from you, and you stormed back into the bunkhouse. I didn’t follow you. I was just going to give you a little time to cool off, hoping that maybe you would eventually want to see me again. I felt better since I knew I could use the bond to find you, and I planned on hanging around for a while anyway.

I was there at the rodeo the next night. I was going to try to talk to you again after the competition was over, explain how we could be together forever….” His voice choked up and the bloody tears began their morbid trail down his cheeks once again. “But I never got the chance, Jack. You took a bad fall off the bull your first ride that night. They said your neck snapped and you died instantly, there was nothing anyone could do. I had the gift of goddamn immortality at my disposal, and I was as helpless as everyone else sitting there in those stands. All I could do was watch as you slipped away from me.”


	8. Chapter 8

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jack offers his blood in a gesture of trust to prove to Ennis that this time things will be different.

“What did you do after…?” I was having a difficult time speaking past the lump in my throat. I had only a few weeks memory of Ennis, and he had many decades worth of me, most of it spent searching for me, and from what he had told me, losing me. I knew that if anything were to happen to him, I would be devastated, let alone if I were to watch it happen in front of my eyes, as he had.

I pushed my way into his arms, thoughts of being without him causing me to need as much physical contact with him as I could get. He was hesitant at first, and I knew past experience had left him unsure if I was suddenly going to turn on him, and accuse him of forcing our lives to be so completely and utterly entwined.

I was relentless though, and I wrapped my arms around his back, pushing his face into the crook of my neck, offering myself to him in the manner in which I hoped would prove my utmost trust in him. Everyone knows you don’t offer your throat to a vampire, unless you are either insane, or in love.

I felt him breathing roughly into my neck, and I knew instinctively that he was finding comfort in my familiar scent. We stood that way for what felt like a lifetime, before I felt his lips begin to caress my throat gently, his nose nuzzling my skin, his moans filling my ears. My earlier question to him was quickly forgotten as the heat between us ignited like a flashfire and all that existed was his touch branding every inch of my body.

“Wait!” I managed to pull back no more than arm’s length from his steady assault on my senses. He froze immediately, and I slipped my arms from around him to grab his hand and pull him toward the truck. “Not here, Ennis. In the back of the truck, okay?”

I felt him close behind me, practically pushing me, comforter dragging on the ground behind us. “I told you we’d christen this truck bed, and I am a man of my word, Ennis Del Mar.” We still needed to talk, but my raging, youthful hormones had other ideas at the moment, and I was inclined to let them have their way when Ennis was concerned.

I threw the comforter into the back of the truck and jumped in after it, quickly spreading it out and settling myself in the center, clothes strewn aside, legs open wide in invitation. My breath caught at the feral expression in Ennis’s eerily glowing eyes, and the flash of fangs he allowed before he stretched out on top of me, excited me in ways that were definitely not natural, but felt too fucking good to question.

He whispered my name as he crushed his lips to mine, but the sting of my flesh being pierced by his fangs did not occur, and I realized that he was keeping a tight rein on his control, something I sadly acknowledged he had now had many years to perfect. But as our tongues slid together and our hands explored shoulders, nipples, and tightly muscled backs, I suddenly decided that I didn’t want him to hold back what was simply a part of his nature from me. He wasn’t the man I had met many lifetimes ago on a lonely mountain, and couldn’t remember anyway. He had told me himself, he was now “something different”, no longer human, but something special; something that had loved me throughout all those long and solitary years; something that had searched for me countless times, finding me and then having me ripped away from him, time and time again. That was the Ennis Del Mar I wanted to be with, I wanted to know exactly what being loved by a vampire truly felt like.

Without stopping to explain, I pulled his mouth to my neck and pressed his lips firmly to my flesh. He stilled, but didn’t pull away. I felt him enter my mind, and I relaxed and welcomed him now that I understood what this link truly signified. ”Jack,” his voice caressed me and filled me with a warmth that almost caused me to come just from his presence inside my thoughts. ”Are you sure you want me to do this?”

He was sucking lightly at my skin, licking his way slowly from my ear to my pulse point. I bucked up into his body as I felt the softest scrape of his teeth on the tender skin beneath my chin, but I was aware of what I was permitting, when I whispered my agreement through our bond. ”There is nothing I want more than to give myself to you. I offer myself freely to prove my trust in you.”

He slipped his knee between my legs, spreading me open to him completely, and nudging my hole gently with his moistened cock. I cried out as he breeched my entrance, but when he went to back out, I locked my legs around his waist and pulled him in deeply, the flash of pain giving way to an exquisite pleasure as he moved slowly, until he was nudging against my hot spot. I moaned as the feeling of fullness swept over me, and as he roughly claimed my lips, this time with a hint of his teeth, I shuddered in anticipation of his entering me intimately through the tender flesh of my throat.

He groaned against my neck as though he were in pain, and I murmured to him soothingly, letting him know I was inviting this most primal of contact without any reservations. If this was our fate, then we would share it all fully, and with no doubts or hesitations.

I yelled as his fangs pierced my skin, but instead of my brain receiving a signal of pain, I felt only the most erotic of pleasures, a gentle pull of Ennis’s mouth sucking at my throat mixed with the waves of happiness and contentment that Ennis flooded throughout the lines of our bond. He thrust into me hard and fast, and my entire body felt as though it were on fire, burning but not being consumed, grounded by the embrace of my lover.

I vaguely realized that he had stopped feeding from me just as our releases exploded together, both of us shaking as the world shifted back into focus.

I kissed him lazily and enjoyed the feel of his sated weight against my body. Suddenly, he tensed and pulled away, a panicked look in his eyes as he looked down at me.

“Ennis, it’s all right. You didn’t hurt me. You didn’t force me. I’ve never experienced anything as fucking amazing as what just happened here. I’m not mad at you.” He still stood there frozen in place, and I slowly realized that the sky was just beginning to lighten.

“Oh shit!” I shouted, jumping up and starting to pull on my clothes. “What happens to you in daylight, Ennis?” Visions of movie vampires turning to ash flooded my mind, and I pushed at him to get dressed, ready to throw the comforter over him if he started to smoke or burn or something.

I pulled him out of the truck bed and brought the comforter with us, before I realized he was smiling at me. He hugged me tightly, and kissed me fiercely, but now was not the time to relish the afterglow of sex.

“Relax, Jack. I need to go to ground very soon, but I’m not going to burst into flames unless I’m exposed to more direct and stronger rays of sunlight.”

“Well, okay, but we don’t have time to dick around. Where do you…?” I stumbled over the unfamiliar phrase, “…go when you go to ground? A coffin?”

He let a smirk cross his face, and I decided that when he wasn’t in imminent danger of combusting into flames, I would enjoy fucking that smirk right off his face, but I knew how to prioritize, so I just waited for his answer. “No, no coffin. I just need a cool, dark place, or I can just bury myself in any nearby soil.”

My mouth hung open and I stared at him in shock. “For real? You just burrow into the dirt like an earthworm? Don’t you get dirt up your nose and in your mouth…but then I guess since you don’t breathe…” I let my words trail off as one of the realities of the undead lifestyle hit me right between the eyes. “You look dead during the day, don’t you?”

He nodded his head and almost seemed amused by my rapid fire questions. He cast a glance at the sky then, and urged me to get into the truck. “We can get into the details of my…condition later, Jack. The older we are, the better we can withstand the sunlight, but I need to get you safely home first.”

He drove off in a hurry, and I wrapped myself around him as tightly as safety would allow. He rested a comforting hand on my thigh, as though he knew all the questions I had tumbling through my brain. He pulled onto the dirt road that led to the Twist cemetery plot, put the truck in park, and turned to cup my chin in the palm of his hand. He leaned in and stared deeply into my eyes, before caressing my lips with his thumb.

“I’ve gotta go, Jack. I’ll leave the truck here with you in case you need it. Meet me here tonight, and I’ll drive you in to work. We can finish our talk on the way.”

“Where are you going?” I sucked his thumb into my mouth, and rubbed my cheek against the rough skin of his hand.

He jerked his head toward the cemetery and tossed me the keys. “I’ll be nearby, Jack. “ He stepped down from the truck and a thoughtful look passed over his face. “And if you are ever in danger, day or night, use the bond to call to me. If I can’t get to you immediately, I will try to send help. As our bond deepens, I will be able to see what you see, and eventually share my strengths with you.”

He waved a hand in farewell, and in the blink of an eye, he was gone. I turned a thoughtful eye to the gravestones that marked the resting places of my family’s dearly departed, and wondered how it felt to lie underground, totally covered in dirt.

I shook my head in bemusement, and set off at a jog to face my own demons, hoping against hope that my Daddy hadn’t gone looking for me yet.


	9. Chapter 9

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jack has his doubts that things will work out for him and Ennis.

I trudged up the dusty road towards the ranch, feet dragging as the combination of the early morning heat and my sleepless night finally started to take their toll on my body.

I stopped in at the barn first, gazing longingly at the loft, where I kept a cot for nights I wasn’t welcome in the house, nights like the one that had just passed.

I frowned as I recalled the mood my Daddy had been in when he suggested I sleep in the barn, and a feeling of dread filled me as I headed up to the house, unsure of what I would discover inside.

I entered the kitchen to the smell of coffee and bacon, my Momma at the stove busily cooking, giving the illusion that we were just another normal family starting off another beautiful day. She turned nervously as the door slammed shut behind me, and I grit my teeth as I took in her swollen lips and bruised jaw.

“Morning, Jack.” She greeted me, ducking her head as I glared at the marks on her face, eyes begging me to keep my mouth shut for just a little longer.

“Morning, Momma.” I bent down and kissed her cheek gently, hating myself for not hunting down my bastard of a father, and destroying him for the lifetime of pain he had caused her. The only thing that relieved part of my guilt was the knowledge that someday soon, we would be able to escape from his sadistic shadow, and find our way in the world without constantly fearing for our lives.

I wondered for a moment how our plans may have changed now that Ennis was involved in the equation. I had never had a chance to tell him of my goal of leaving the ranch forever with my Momma, and I was suddenly worried about how last night’s revelations were going to affect my ability to take her with me. How was I ever going to explain Ennis to her? ”Momma, this is Ennis, he’s my vampire lover and soulmate, and he’s been searching for me for a century.”

My Momma loved me, and accepted that I liked men, but adding a male vampire into the mix may be pushing my luck where she was concerned. I touched the marks on the side of my neck absently, flinching at the tenderness of my flesh, trying to see a future with Ennis that could possibly include her.

I couldn’t seem to do it. I must have been standing there with a blank look on my face because my Momma shot me a puzzled look as she placed a plate full of bacon and eggs in front of my seat at the kitchen table. “Go on and eat. You’re looking a little pale this morning, you feeing okay?” She pressed her thin hand up against my forehead, like she used to when I was a small child, and for a long moment I wished life had dealt the both of us a better hand of cards.

“I’m fine, Momma. Just a little tired, is all.” I shot her a sharp glance. “What about you? How are you feeling this morning?”

She flinched and moved away, busying herself back at the stove. “I’m just fine, son. Happy to have lived to see another beautiful sunrise. Thank you for asking.” I glared at her back as she touched the hem of her apron to the corner of her eyes furtively.

“Where’s Daddy?” I asked suspiciously, a feeling of unease beginning to spread throughout my body, as I saw her hesitate over the frying pan, spatula in hand.

“He’s out patrolling the land.” She kept her back to me as she spoke. I knew there was more coming, and it wasn’t going to be good. “Another steer got slaughtered sometime last night. Right close to the house too.”

“Shit!” I tried to whisper to myself, but I know she heard me. The fact that she didn’t scold me for cussing just reinforced my suspicions that not only had my absence been noticed, but she had more than likely already paid for it on top of whatever atrocities he had committed against her during the night.

“I told him you said you would be on the far edge of the property, up in one of the tree stands, since the fence is still busted out that way.” She turned and gave me a watery smile. “Just tell him you went on foot, that’s why your horse was still in his stall.”

We shared a guilty glance, and I saw he eyes widen slightly as she caught a glimpse of my neck, but she didn’t question me; she just loaded up a plate with more food, and set it down before me.

After breakfast, I headed into the bathroom to get washed off. I was tired, but I knew that if I tried to grab some sleep, my Daddy would take it out on Momma as well as me, and it just wasn’t worth the chance.

Some changes needed to be made, for my Momma’s peace of mind as well as my own. Things were in a downward spiral when it came to the situation with my Daddy, and I was very aware that the tightrope we were walking where he was concerned was starting to fray badly.

I thought about Ennis, and the history he had told me we shared. Perhaps it really was fate that had brought him into my life at this juncture after all. Maybe this was why we had kept missing each other lifetime after lifetime, never really being able to have a sweet life together for over a hundred fucking years.

But, what would have to happen to insure that we finally did get our happily ever after this time?

I rested my head against the vanity mirror wearily, the feeling of hopelessness that I had been fighting off all morning finally slamming into me full-force. I wanted to scream in frustration at the complications that seemed to be steadily mounting up against me. I wanted to slam my fists into my Daddy’s face and make him bleed the way he had made me and my Momma bleed so many times in the past. But, mostly I wanted to be in Ennis’s arms, content and safe, with the future finally shining brightly for both of us.

I sighed and sat down heavily on the toilet seat, my mind in turmoil and a sense of despair so strong I felt as though it would crush me.

“Jack? Jack, what’s wrong?” I shivered as Ennis’s voice entered my mind hesitantly, like the caress of a summer breeze playing along my overheated senses. I shut my eyes and reached out blindly for him, instinctively trying to strengthen our connection, seeking out the comfort he so easily gave to me.

“Nothing’s wrong.” I denied my frustration automatically, even as I searched for his presence hungrily, wanting simply to be able to draw strength from his touch.

“Is it your father?” His voice had a tight edge to it as he asked. “Did he harm you?”I smiled at the barely concealed anger in his tone, and couldn’t help but think teasingly, “My hero!”

“Jack…” I heeded the warning in his voice and reassured him that I was physically fine, although my Daddy appeared to be getting suspicious about my whereabouts what with the continued slaughtering of our cattle by unknown predators.

“Jack…” His voice had taken on a seductive note, making my cock twitch and take an interest in the conversation. “We could leave tonight, you and I, and you would never have to fear him again.”

I let myself be drawn into the heaven he promised for a moment, imagining endless nights spent doing whatever we wanted, wherever we wanted, answering to no one but each other. He could show me the world and we would be together forever. No more missed opportunities or cruel separations, while fate laughed at us and tortured him, year after lonely year. But…

“I can’t, Ennis.” I felt another wave of depression slam into me and the whirlpool of hopelessness began to suck me under once again. “I can’t leave my Momma to face that bastard alone.”

I felt his disappointment, but I also knew that he understood better than anyone what it would feel like to be left behind in the clutches of a monster like John Twist.

“I will think of something, I swear, Jack. Nothing will keep us apart this time.” I felt his confidence and determination cover me like a blanket and I pulled it around me as though it were armor, surrounding myself in his protection.

I pushed an image of all of the love I felt for him through the thread in my mind that I knew was our bond. I heard him gasp in surprise and I moaned aloud as I felt him send similar thoughts back to me with the addition of the hunger and desire that now stirred deeply inside of me.

I clutched my suddenly throbbing cock, and sent a mental picture of wanting his lips wrapped around me, swallowing me to the root, and pulling the essence of our love from me as I did the same for him. He moaned with me, and I almost came as I pictured our mutual pleasuring so clearly, it was as if we truly were together.

I barely even had time to free my erection from my jeans, when I shot my load, spurting several times into my hand before slumping back against the toilet tank, gratefully letting it save me from sliding onto the floor. I looked down at my come filled hand in astonishment, and immediately reached out mentally for Ennis.

“What the fuck was that? And why didn’t you tell me we could do that?” I was still worried about the future, but I was also riding a wave of post-orgasmic bliss that made me want to go find my Daddy and tell him to fuck off.

“Well, because I had no idea we could…I mean…shit…Jack.” He’d really had no clue our bond was this strong, and I felt a momentary sadness that in one hundred years, he had never been able to strengthen the bond enough for us to be together this way across whatever obstacles kept us apart.

“Where are you anyway?” Our little mental sex games had me feeling strangely rejuvenated, and now I was curious where he was spending his daylight hours. “You’re not in a coffin, or buried in the dirt somewhere, are you?

He let out a snort of laughter and I knew if we were together he would have pulled me in close for a hug. “No, luckily there are enough abandoned outbuildings nearby, that I didn’t need to resort to such desperate measures.”

“So,” I sobered as reality rudely interrupted my thoughts again. “What are we gonna do, Ennis?”

“I have a call in to some friends to see what they suggest.” He answered carefully, almost reluctantly.

“Friends?” I questioned, a little concerned by what sort of people a one hundred year old vampire might consider a friend. “Do you mean other vamp…others like you?”

“Jack, you have to understand from what I told you last night that there are others like me in the world; quite a few others, as a matter of fact. We remain hidden to your world, but we have our own society, culture, and laws which govern us. Without those others to help me when I was first turned, I would not have survived.”

I had nothing to say to that revelation. A part of me realized that what he was telling me was true and in a way made perfect sense, but to think of an entire population of vampires living in plain sight among us for centuries; it was a chilling reminder that if vampires existed, what other creatures of our nightmares co-existed with us as well?

“You won’t get in trouble for finding me, will you?” I suddenly imagined some sort of vampire police dragging Ennis in chains back to some dungeon somewhere because he went AWOL.

“No, Jack, I have the permission of my sheriff to search for you. A bond such as we have is respected among my kind, and you will be welcomed into our ranks if you choose to join us, but…” He hesitated and I felt uneasy at not being able to see his face. “I had not considered the complication with your mother.”

Suddenly, I was afraid and angry at what may happen. There was no way I was going to leave my Momma behind, yet I couldn’t see her accepting a world that included a vampire lover for her son, who very well might choose to become a vampire himself. I was afraid to leave her behind with my Daddy, who would be guaranteed to punish her if I left, but to tell her the truth came with the fear that she would reject me outright, and I wasn’t sure if I could accept those consequences either.

“My Momma is not a fucking complication, Ennis!” I was lashing out at him, and I knew it, but at the moment, the situation was getting the best of me. I really needed to be with Ennis, not trying to solve all of our problems through a goddamn psychic connection.

“I know, Jack. I didn’t mean to suggest she wouldn’t be welcome, but we are known by very few humans, and those that do know us, usually become like us. Not many humans are happy to know of our existence. At any rate, I cannot decide this on my own, but I am still very sure of one thing, Jack.” He paused, and I felt the truth behind his next words, and shuddered at the intensity of feeling he flooded through me. “You are mine, and I will do whatever is necessary to keep you this time.”


End file.
